Assignment: Root Cause Analysis Topic Materials

the world” (p. 166). Whatever terminology is chosen, the process described in this chapter refers to the transformation of the layperson into a skilled nurse who is prepared to respond skillfully and respectfully to persons in need of nursing care, or, as described by Benner et al. (2010), “the lay student moves from acting like a nurse to being a nurse” (p. 177). This development of professional identity occurs initially through the formal educational process and culminates in the practice setting.

Professional Nursing Roles and Values What is it that professional nurses do? The scope of nursing practice describes the “who,” “what,” where,” “when,” “why,” and “how” of nursing practice (ANA, 2015b, p. 2). The standards of professional nursing practice are authoritative statements that describe the duties that all registered nurses are expected to competently perform. The standards of professional nursing practice are composed of standards of practice and standards of professional performance. The standards of practice describe competent nursing care as demonstrated by use of the nursing process. The standards of professional performance describe a competent level of behavior in the professional nursing role (ANA, 2015b).

According to the ANA (2010), there are seven essential features of nursing. These features include the provision of a caring relationship that facilitates health and healing, attention to the range of experiences and responses to health and illness within the physical and social environments, and integration of assessment data with knowledge gained from an appreciation of the patient or group. In addition, nursing includes the application of scientific knowledge to the processes of diagnosis and treatment through the use of judgment and critical thinking, advancement of professional nursing knowledge through scholarly inquiry, influence on social and public policy to promote social justice, and assurance of safe, high-quality, and evidence-based practice (ANA, 2010).